Anyone marrying in UK, but living overseas?

I'm getting married in UK in 2008, but I live abroad. Is anyone else in the same situation? I would love to chat to anyone who is! Just so that I can get some ideas on how to be super-organised! I'm only coming home to the UK twice in the next year!

I look forward to hgearing from you x x

;\)

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Hey there... I live in Sydney, Australia but getting married in Kent in June this year.

I have found this website to be really helpful. I decided to hold the reception in a hotel as this would be easier to organise. The food, accommodation, drinks, setting up of room etc will all be taken care of and dont need to worry too much about individual suppliers. It also helps that my Mum lives close by to the church and venue and so can be a contact point when needed. She has been so helpful.

Where are you getting married? Are you from the UK? And where are you living now?

I too am living abroad (Melbourne) and thought about getting married back home in England but then changed my mind mainly due to the process of giving notice. This would have required us spending 3 weeks in England before we could even have held the wedding as my H2B is Australian - you need 7 days residency plus 14 days notice. All this had to be done in the UK in person, although if you check registry of BD&M there are some exceptions for non EU nationals who can register their intent to marry in another country. Saying this if you are making 2 trips back to the UK & H2B is going with you then notice can be given then.

The internet is great help for planning stuff, just about anything can be found on it. Most venues have online brochures so you can get an idea of ones you want to view on your trip back (or get someone in the UK to view them for you). Also if you want to get your wedding dress in the UK there most collections can be viewed online and stockists are listed on designers websites so you can get a fair idea of what you want to try on and where you have to go to do this. The fashion forum here will help with the name of designers so you know what to look up.

It'll all be fine don't worry.

Enjoy

xcx

Quick qu for Brophy - did you get your dress in Oz? Can you recommend any good Australian designers as I'm finding it really hard to find nice dresses over here.

Hey there... CharlotteH... I found my dress in a regular bridal shop in the city. It is a Maggie Sottero one. I have noticed a lot of people are buying them on this website!! I had a lot of luck with finding one... I saw it straight away and managed to avoid the arduous task of wedding dress shopping. However, my friend lives in Melbourne and she got her dress designed and made for her... and I think it was fairly reasonable in cost. I could find out his name and number for him if you wish?

Just in regards to marrying abroad, my H2B is also Australian. We applied for a Special Licence and are able to marry over in England. I am going over two weeks before and H2B will be there one week before. However, we both have to meet with the vicar the week before to sign all the paper work and get it witnessed etc. Dont know if this of any help.

I live in Belgium and getting married in the UK in September. It's a MAJOR headache in some respects but you'll be ok if you are relaxed about stuff and willing to book things on trust (eg I booked the reception venue without ever having been in the function room ... , the bridesmaids dresses without having seen them on, the singer with only having heard her on the internet ...!) You also need lots of patience and time on google!

I am doing what Clare is doing and booked a package through the hotel so everything is sorted out by them at that end. It gives you less choice but it is less troublesome. Everything else I have done pretty much by multiple internet searches to find things and have had some things sent to my mum's address. Mum will be a base for everything before the wedding and we'll travel to Cambridge the day before and hope everything will be ok.

The registration thing is a headache if you are not in the UK and the rules are just stupid. Special licenses only work in the church of England so for a Catholic wedding you have to fulfill civil registration requirements which are absurd. It doesn't matter that we both go to Mass, know the priest, and the church we want to marry in used to be my parish church ... or yet that I was born in Cambridge!! My favourite ranting topic this!! Make enquiries about all this early and plan how to deal. We have a plan, and are going to give notice in February so hopefully it will work out.

I think there is one really positive thing about living overseas, and that is that you can't get yourself into sixes and sevens by shopping around too much and giving yourself too many choices and fussing over them. You have to be a bit more removed and I think as a result have a bit more perspective about the whole thing!

Hi Girls, found this topic really helpful as I am in San Francisco planning a wedding in Yorkshire. I am so over my head. In the USA it is an absolute MUST to host the bar all night, I just found out that isnt necessarily the case in the UK, and that it can be really expensive.

My h2b is british so to make things easy we are marrying here in a civil ceremony with just our parents. But we are having the reception there since Luke has two grandmothers who are in their 80's....

I dont want to be taken by surprise on any other topics. Can you offer suggestions? Thanks

The hotel where the reception is, is an old established hotel which I know, but has gone through major renovations since I have been in Oz... so seems pretty strange not to have seen the finished product before going ahead and booking it. My mum says its great so am going with that. Also, things like booking a photographer... I have just gone on the internet and narrowed it down to three... and thought...'OK which one do I think is best for my budget' and gone with one. There comes a point where you just have to make decisions and go with them!!! Gulp... hope it all works out!!!

But... I think you are right... organising it from abroad just means that you have to go with things. The positive aspect is, you dont get overwhelmed and wrapped up in all the possible decisions to be made!!!

We are also having a pay bar in the evening and it seems pretty common in the UK. All the weddings I have been to in Australia... drinks are put on all night... very generous indeed... however, dont think we can stretch it that far!!!

Trying to think of other things that are a bit different. In Australia, the bridesmaids walk up the aisle first before the bride. I think in the UK the bride is normally first... altho' that is changing a bit now I think.

Anyway... I am going on a bit now... but hope you are all having fun organising everything and if you have any suggestions please let me know!!!

Really glad i found this topic!!! I'm currently living in Egypt and getting married Summer 2008. The easier thing for me is that I will be moving back to the UK this summer, but it has still meant a whole load of decisions having to be made and using my mum's judgment. She's touring around hotels which H2B and I have seen on the internet. To be honest, I think we both have made a decision but it's good to have someone actually view it.:\)

This thread is so helpful. I was hoping somebody could clarify the situation for UK people living in Australia. Me and my fiancé are both brits but we currently live in Sydney. We're planning on getting married in the UK but I'm confused about giving notice. Do we have to give notice in the UK first or can we give notice in Australia?

I see most posts have been written a while ago; which is why I'm interested in your experiences. I'm French and my partner is English, we both live in France but would prefer to get married in England.

We've been enquiring for giving notice, the problem is that I can't take some time off before the wedding for being in the UK for 7 days.

Did you have any issues when giving notice? Do you have to prove anything? Do you think that would cancel the whole thing if we cant respect those 7 days of residency?

I live in Mexico and I'm planning my daughter's wedding in the UK (the legal part) and the symbolic wedding in Mexico. Glad I found this thread and even though it's old I think we can 'revive' it and give each other some tips and ideas. I'm looking in and around Lewisham, London area. She is doing the legalities herself but its my job to come up with venue options, flowers, photographers etc. It will only be max. 30 people in the UK.